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Hangzhou was big and famous when Shanghai was a village. Although it is now eclipsed by Shanghai it is very much worth a visit. We'd guess that most tourists see the main sights in one or two days. Mao Zedong apparently spent months on end there during the Cultural Revolution while his minions were causing havoc elsewhere in the country, according to Harrison Salisbury's biography, which we are now reading. We spent six days, partially out of disorganization and partially because Jan was getting sicker and stayed in the hotel two days. 

As a result of her never-curing cold we went to see a Chinese doctor. It happened that the hospital clinic was a few large blocks from our hotel and the hotel manager accompanied us there and acted as an interpreter. Jan got a blood test, a chest x-ray, an EKG and a lot of pills. Whether they helped her or not we don't know because she stayed sick right though Hong Kong; we do know the pills zonk her out.

As to sites, we were astonished how big the city of Hangzhou is. It just goes on and on, covering as much area as Shanghai, although there are fewer people. All this abruptly stops at the West Lake, appropriately named, for it is on the west side of town. Beyond the lake there are hills and hills and more hills. We took a boat ride on the lake and visited the small islands, but they didn't match up to its reputation or to Taishan or Huangshan (see below), but at night it had its beauty. In the hills beyond the lake there is a Buddhist temple that is a gem. Its buildings are not that old, having often been destroyed and rebuilt, but its site makes them a charmer. Unfortunately Jan didn't get to see this because of her illness.